Netanyahu — who is frequently accused of wading into U.S. politics in favor of conservative and Republican causes — started his remarks with praise of President Joe Biden. But he turned to lavishing praise on former president and current presidential contender Donald Trump “for all he’s done for Israel.”
Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Biden and Harris on Thursday, and with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday.
Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Democrat from Maryland, said Netanyahu’s speech was made for Trump’s GOP.
“We didn’t hear anything about meaningful progress towards a bilateral ceasefire in return for hostages. We didn’t hear anything about peace. We didn’t hear anything about a two-state solution, which has been U.S. foreign policy for decades,” he said.
Delivering the speech during Israel’s evening prime time, Netanyahu also had an eye on the audience back home. Netanyahu, whose popularity has plummeted from its pre-war levels, aimed to portray himself as a statesman respected by Israel’s most important ally and welcomed in the corridors of Washington. That task is complicated by Americans’ increasingly divided views on Israel and the war, which has emerged as a key issue in the U.S. presidential election.
Tall steel barriers ringed the Capitol Wednesday, and police deployed pepper spray as thousands of protesters rallied, denouncing Netanyahu as a “war criminal” and calling for a cease-fire.
The appearance made Netanyahu the first foreign leader to address a joint meeting of Congress four times, surpassing Winston Churchill.
House Speaker Mike Johnson gave Netanyahu a warm welcome. More than 60 Democrats and political independent Bernie Sanders boycotted Netanyahu’s speech. The most notable absence was right behind him: Vice President Kamala Harris, who serves as president of the Senate, said a long-scheduled trip kept her from attending.
The next Democrat in line, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, declined to attend, so Sen. Ben Cardin, the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, served as “senator pro tempore” in place of her.
Trump’s running mate, Sen. JD Vance, was also a no-show for Netanyahu’s speech, citing the need to campaign.
Crowds of demonstrators near the Capitol protested the war’s high civilian death toll. Others condemned Netanyahu’s inability to free Israeli and American hostages taken by Hamas and other militants during the Oct. 7 attack that sparked the war.
Support for Israel has long carried political weight in U.S. politics. But the usual warm welcome for Netanyahu’s visits has been diminished this time around by political turmoil, including the assassination attempt against Trump and Biden’s decision not to seek another term.
Many Democrats who support Israel but have been critical of Netanyahu saw the address as a Republican effort to cast itself as the party most loyal.
Many Democrats attended the address despite their criticism of Netanyahu, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who called for new elections in Israel in a March floor speech. Schumer, of New York, said then that Netanyahu has “lost his way” and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
The United States is Israel’s most important ally, arms supplier and source of military aid. The Biden administration had said it wants to see Netanyahu focus his visit on helping it complete a deal for a cease-fire and hostage-release. Growing numbers of Israelis accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war in order to avoid a likely fall from power whenever the conflict ends.
Netanyahu’s visit came under the shadow of arrest warrants sought against him by the International Criminal Court over alleged Israel war crimes against Palestinians. The United States does not recognize the ICC.
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Associated Press writers Stephen Groves, Lisa Mascaro, Mary Clare Jalonick and Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.
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